The Thorny Tale of Three
by TheScoundrelCookie
Summary: They were known for their legendary friendship during present times, but was it possible the two souls had known each other before? [Possible keyshipping, Alternate timeline(?), Collab with spytheninja464 on Tumblr]
1. Odd Duo

**A/N: Before we begin, this idea came to me one night while treading zeheca (otherwise known as Zexal Head Canons) on Tumblr. Upon reading a head canon about how all the Zexal characters had past lives, I got an idea, told this idea to my friend, spytheninja464 (on Tumblr), and we decided to write a collab together. So, the following chapters will be written by the both of us and edited by me.**

**Also, to ease future confusion, Ahuiliztli is Yuma, Yaotl is Black Mist, and Xiuhpilli is Astral…..And there will most likely be Keyshipping. Whether it's platonic or not is still up for debate.**

**Spytheninja464 and I don't own Zexal. Enjoy.**

**The Thorny Tale of Three**

**Chapter 1 – Odd Duo **

The young dark-skinned child named Ahuiliztli wasn't looking forward to the other Aztec twins coming over. It was customary to at least get along with everyone in their village, although it wasn't an easy task with these two. One of them seemed pretty normal-looking with his dark skin and hair. Normal, aside from a strange red marking on his face and that he gave off a really dark aura. However, if he so much as looked at him, the meaner one of the twins would glare at him and walk away. The other was much the very opposite. He had strangely light skin and hair with odd blue-like markings covering his body and face. Another non-normal trait was his odd dual-colored eyes. He, unlike his twin, always seemed polite but gave a blank expression. Although, his eyes always seemed inquisitive, no matter what. It was hard to believe they were twins. The only thing that seemed to be similar between the two was the style in which they had their hair and the fact that both were not much conversationalists.

They were also rarely seen at all. It was rumored that both were demon, soul-stealing twins sent by the Gods to punish those who fall out of line, but due to the general fear most villagers felt, nothing was ever done to the two. Plus, they really did not want to anger the gods whom were the basis of the village's survival….

Although he didn't exactly believe all these stories the villagers, mostly elders wishing to get a scare off of the children, told, but nonetheless, it wasn't a surprise the child wanted to avoid the strange duo. The Aztec child thought he could probably avoid another awkward and boring encounter with them if he just "disappeared" until they departed from his family's household. So, once they had left, he returned, making up yet another excuse of why he couldn't be there at that moment as well as making sure he sounded disappointed. Truth is, the red-banged child didn't like the two small boys. They always seemed to have a superior demeanor, as if they were better than the rest of them; as if they knew everything and everyone else was beneath them or something.

Exiting the hut-type structure, he began heading to the village to play with his friends for the afternoon when he was stopped by the sound of rustling from the nearby bushes. The rustling was merely caused by the wind, but this caused the boy to stand there for a moment. After some consideration, he decided to go to the river instead. It had been a while since he had gone by there and now seemed like a good time as any. With his mind made, the tan child made his way through the bushes and toward the slow flowing river.

The black-haired boy ran up the stream to his favorite spot under a shady Cocoa tree.

However, as he approached, he noticed someone was already there! From this angle and distance, he couldn't tell who it was that sat under the shifting shadows and light from the swaying branches. He approached but stayed a cautious distance from the person.

"What's the big idea?" the child asked in an annoyed tone.

The figure seated in the dark shade turned to him with strangely familiar dual-colored eyes as it only questioned back an "I beg your pardon?" in a calm voice.

"That's my spot you're sitting in," the tan boy replied, making sure to pout as fiercely as possible as he made his presence more noticeable by exiting his hiding spot.

Sadly, he only received an arched eyebrow in response as the other male replied nonchalantly, "I am sorry, but I do not think you have any proof to your claim."

The little tanned boy clenched his fists at the reply. Seriously, didn't that _guy _understand how rude he was being?

"That's my spot!" he cried, succumbing to his childish attitude.

However, the figure in the spot the young Aztec child desired didn't move an inch. Not at all, and the little boy, incredibly furious by now, began to open his mouth when the figure spoke up.

"It's rather rude you would avoid us, yet here you are making demands. It's as if you make contact with my brother and I when you have absolutely no choice," noted the figure as they stood up, and the little boy flinched upon recognizing the red marking and black messy hair that made the malevolent one of the twins.

No response came from the young boy as he watched with eyes of a doe that was to face death.

Such a situation he had wished to avoid, and now it seemed as if the Gods themselves were attempting to unleash torture upon the boy of seven years old. All this because he had not wished to be near the duo of odd males, even at the expense of his parents.

Neither of them spoke, and with the exception of the occasional brushing noises the branches of the trees made, it was completely silence.

Mismatched eyes of black and gold met the ruby colored ones, and while the boy wished to shrink, and perhaps rush back to the arms of his loving mother, he remained, fixated on proving he wouldn't let this possible demon know he was afraid.

"Yaotl, where have you wandered off to?" a voice in the distance called to which the twin of a darker aura stiffened.

He broke his gaze with the Aztec child and peered around his surroundings, seemly attempting to recognize the direction in which the voice came from.

However, moments later, he turned his attention back to the frightened child and spoke in a warning tone, "I would advise you return home. I believe you are expected to assist with the fields today? I am rather sure your father would not appreciate tardiness."

With that, he sauntered off and passed the cocoa tree, not once giving the boy another glance.

Moments after he had officially left, the Aztec boy heaved a relieved sigh yet froze when the other twin, the one with a golden and white eye, stumbled into the scene, looking around with a worried curiosity.

He didn't seem to notice the red-banged boy, but when he did, he instantly approached him and inquired in the same polite tone he always used, "Pardon, but have you seen my brother? He wandered off somewhere, and I have yet to see him. I am becoming rather worried."

Unlike the twin that reeked of displeasure, a friendly smile was on his lips as the questioned boy pointed towards the faintly disarrayed path that was slightly hidden by the cocoa tree, "Past there."

"Thank you. You have my utmost appreciation," replied the light-haired male in a content and soft spoken voice. However, he paused upon realizing the identity to the face that had just helped him with his quest. "…Are you not the boy whose parents wish for us to become friends?"

It seemed he hadn't expected the sudden question as he froze in his place, but after a few moments of looking downwards, in shame he might add, as well as droopy eyed, he admitted, "Yes. I'm sorry about today…I was off fetching water for my father…."

"I see. Well, I should be off now. Thank you, and I hope we can properly see one another again," were the words that bid goodbye as the polite twin disappeared into the trail.

After both "demon children" were out of sight, the young boy decided to rush home without another backward glance.

* * *

The gold and white eyes scanned the mixtures of shadow as the light began to fade. He walked slowly, looking for his brother. As he searched, he began to replay the encounter with the tan boy by the stream. He had spoken of fetching water, but the light skinned boy hadn't seen any way the tan child could have possibly been able to get water as the vase the Tsukam family used for water gathering had been sitting in plain view when he had been visiting. He even remembered examining it from afar for entertainment since the red-banged boy had not appeared.

Slight crunching of grass pulled him from his thoughts. He turned 360 degrees to take in his surroundings when he heard a voice behind him, "Really Xiuhpilli, I can't get away from any of you for at least a couple minutes, can I?"

The lighter twin whipped his head around and replied, "Yaotl. We have to go. Namacuix requested us back some time ago."

The darker one of the siblings snorted, "Tell that old man he can-"

"Present the comment to him yourself once we get return," the blue-haired boy interrupted.

Yaotl muttered something under his breath but began walking anyway. Xiuhpilli, otherwise known as the polite brother, took another moment to be distracted by the boy he had spoken with earlier, only to be interrupted again by Yaotl.

"You're the one who wants to get back so badly, yet you are the one falling behind," he heard him say from the distance as his twin gazed back with an annoyed expression. Ignoring the taunting comment, the light-haired one of the brothers promptly followed his darker twin.

They exited the area after some time and began to wander around, heading toward the village. Yaotl, after some time, struck a conversation about the evasive boy he ran into.

"You do remember the Tsukam parents, right? I happened to encounter the little brat of theirs," he began.

Xiuhpilli turned to his twin and tilted his head slightly, "I think you mean child…..Do you mean the female?"

The darker of the two scoffed, "Not the girl. The other brat. The one that we never see."

The blue-haired boy's steps slowed momentarily as he remembered his encounter with the same individual. He returned to his normal pace as he spoke, "I believe his name was Ahuiliztli. That is what his parents had said when we first met them."

"Well," Yaotl continued, "whatever. I still think he avoids us, because he's a snobby brat. Or he's afraid of us."

This caused the lighter of the two to stop and ask, "Afraid? Why would he be afraid?"

Black and gold eyes met white and gold, seeming amused by his brother's ignorance. The dark twin chuckled, "Of course. You don't get out much, do you?"

Before Xiuhpilli could answer, the malevolent sibling shrugged, "People have been spreading these stories of _demon twins_, or something like that."

After Yaotl explained and summarized some of the tall tales, gold and white eyes blinked. He was not sure what to do with this new information or what to think about it. Did anyone really believe such nonsense? In all honesty, he wasn't normal looking like most, yet it still didn't justify the fact that others thought of them as _demons_. Sent by the Gods, no less, to punish them.

Punish them for what? He didn't think anyone had done anything that would require him to do so. Well, that was if those supposed prophecies were even true, which they weren't.

But….did that boy, Ahuiliztli, know of these rumors?

If so, did he believe them? Was he afraid of them?

Of him?

He didn't seem that way when they spoke, but he could be wrong.

….Actually, why did his thoughts keep trailing back to that boy?

Xiuhpilli was getting lost in his own thoughts again and was quickly snapped back by a dark hand waving in front of him. When he looked up, an annoyed expression was set on the black-haired child's face.

"Did you hear anything of what I just said? You've been quite preoccupied in that seemingly empty head of yours today. More than usual I might add."

Normally, the light-haired twin would have begun a fight with his sibling, yet considering he wasn't in the mood to argue with him at this point, he just pouted in response. Rolling his eyes, Yaotl began opening his mouth when he stopped walking.

The lighter of the twins was to question the malevolent twin when he spotted the reason for the black-haired male's actions.

In front of the boys was the village in partial ruins. Smoke seemed to escape from the various burning huts while the occasional corpse was found on the ground. Distraught screaming of men, women, and children rang throughout the area, and Xiuhpilli was sure he could spot several children around his age sobbing amongst the destruction.

"Y-Yaotl," Xiuhpilli began, after finding his voice. He could feel his body shake in a fear he hadn't felt since his parents had died. A fear that he thought he wouldn't experience again until he was an adult. "W-what's happening?"

Unlike the usual sarcastic tone the black-haired twin often abused, Yaotl seemed to be quivering. In the bravest voice he was able to muster, he whispered to his twin:

"Invasion."

* * *

**A/N: End chapter 1! What do you guys think? **

**Expect the next chapter…someday. (This chapter took about a month to write). Read, review, or don't! **


	2. Safety isn't Welcomed

**A/N: I am well aware this is very short, but SPY and I haven't had much time to work on the story together. Plus, she said this was essential (or something). Sooo...YEAH. **

**Zexal doesn't belong to us.**

The Thorny Tale of Three

Chapter 2 - Safety isn't Welcomed

Ahuiliztli had returned to his hut, but upon his arrival, he found it being melted by the blazes of a fire. However, he was unable to comprehend this as the red-banged boy had been standing there for what seemed like hours, staring in horror.

Were his parents stuck in there?

Actually, was his whole family stuck in there?

If not, where were they?

"Ahuiliztli!" he heard someone call his name abruptly, and the tanned child spun around to find the lithe figure and red hair that belonged to his older sister, Teyacapan.

"Come! Quickly!" she cried, gazing around several times to see if anyone had spotted her. Luckily for the female, no eyes were watching her movements. "Come!"

The black-haired boy immediately began heading towards her, but upon reuniting with his sister, as well as his grandmother, he realized his parents were nowhere to be seen. Regardless, he had no time to question as his sibling and grandmother began to lead the little boy away from the scene that was the former village.

Step after step was taken by the three relatives as they made their way deeper and deeper into the brush. The Aztec boy looked back for a moment. However, the black shadows of the trees blocked most of his view, leaving him to look at the sky. It was lit up in a shade of bright orange and red from the flames with splotches of rising dark gray clouds. The smell of smoke in the air was accompanied by screams and sobs of agony and loss. The young Tsukam boy wanted to run. Run back to the hut to look for his parents. Run back to try and be of any sort of help to the others.

He was just about to take off when his older sibling grabbed his thin tan arm once again, which caused the boy to flinch.

"You can't help them," the older female said to her brother who turned and gave her pleading eyes.

"They might still be there!" he had cried, trying to convince her.

"You're just going to get yourself killed!"

"But-"

Ahuiliztli wasn't allowed to continue as he was dragged away by force. Normally, he would have began to cry, scream, and kick about, but he was unable to do so. He was too filled with fear to act like that...

Perhaps...Perhaps, if his sister wasn't noticing later, he could make an escape to search for his parents.

He would just have to wait….no matter how hard it seemed.

* * *

"Xiuhpilli, you walk too slow! I swear, a legless jaguar could walk faster than you!" spoke the boy with gold and black eyes from the distance.

The gold and white eyes of the friendlier twin narrowed at the malevolent brother for his teasing, However, at the same time, it motivated the lighter twin to follow after his brother in quicker steps.

"We must find that wretched old man," his brother continued, striding throughout the burning town, seemingly without a care in the world. "We cannot lose him."

"As if you actually cared," Xiuhpilli huffed as he remained a little behind, attempting to make sure they hadn't passed the hut that belonged to his uncle, Namacuix. Nervous as he was, he couldn't help but act this way...Especially since his brother was in a fouler mood than usual.

Yaotl only gave his twin a darkened look. Obviously, he had been offended. Not that the light-haired twin cared much as he was fed up with his brother's attitude at this point.

"You two! What are you doing?!"

The twins froze in place; a look of alarm settled on their faces. However, the dark-haired one of the duo seemed to regain his composure first and growled in response.

"We were looking for you _oh great uncle of ours_," he retorted afterwards, seemingly pleased as his now present uncle narrowed his eyes at the boy in disdain.

"You see the disaster surrounding us, and yet, here you are, still acting like a fool," Namacuix scolded, approaching them and roughly grabbing the two boys by their wrists.

Unsurprisingly, the malevolent twin tried pulling away but failed considering his short size. So, without much say, the twins were dragged off by the secretly relieved blonde man that was their only living relative.

This continued until the three were out of the village, but almost immediately, the only man of the trio released his grip.

"Stay here," Namacuix commanded, staring at the twins with those heterochromatic eyes of blue and yellow in such a serious way, Yaotl begrudgingly would oblige. "I shall return when I can. Stay out of sight."

Xiuhpilli nodded, obvious he would try his best to fulfill his uncle's demand. Meanwhile, the dark-haired brother only gave a huff as well as a quick nod before averting his gaze to the ongoing destruction in the distance.

With that, the blonde man glanced at both boys and his surroundings once more before he strode away and soon disappeared into the oncoming night.

Almost immediately, the black haired twin tapped his foot, seemingly impatient, a couple of times before speaking, "He really wants us to just stay here? And do what? Why should we listen to that old sack of-"

"Because he bid us to stay here, and as his nephews, we should follow his authority," The lighter one of the brothers cut him off.

The dark one scowled in irritation at being interrupted but countered with, "So, if he told you to let yourself get mauled by a wild panther, would you?"

Gold and white eyes stared at the ground for a moment in thought before responding with, "I don't think I would, but-"

"Well then, that's all I needed to know," spoke the child with black hair as he walked a few feet away from his sibling and sat at the foot of a nearby tree. The blue haired boy rolled his eyes and stifled a yawn as he followed and sat in a spot next to his brother.

They were silent, neither speaking as Xiuhpilli was focused on the return of his uncle. However, as seconds turned into minutes, he could feel the exhaustion beginning to overcome his body. Eventually, he gave into his body's desires as he fell asleep, unaware his brother had done the same only a few minutes earlier.

Peacefully sleeping, the twins were unaware of the black-haired boy that was unknowingly heading their way...

* * *

**A/N: Ooops! *hides* We'll update someday XP**

**And Akari is Teyacapan! Wooo. I am magic.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Read, review, or not. **

**Bye.**


	3. Everything had Gone Wrong

**A/N: NEW CHAPTER! AND ON MY BIRFDAY! : D**

**I don't mind actually.**

**Spy and I don't own Zexal**

**The Thorny Tale of Three**

**Chapter 3 - Everything has Gone Wrong**

An uneasy sensation woke the blue haired boy. Opening his eyes in alarm, he began to look around his surroundings. It was late as the crescent moon above gave off what little light it could. He immediately noticed his brother was nowhere near him, but before he could begin to panic, he heard a low rustling some feet away, heading towards him.

Thinking his twin was trying to scare him, he spoke, "What are you doing this late? We were told to stay here."

Once he spoke, the rustling stopped, and it became eerily quiet, making the light-haired boy uneasy once again. The boy shook a bit in what he could only describe as fear. His eyes seemingly saw the dancing shadows and creatures he knew were not there. Even so, he spoke once more, "T-This is no time for games, and you are not going to frighten me-"

"Ahh!" yelled an unseen being which in turn made the blue-haired child jump and spin around to face where the sound had come from.

"Let go of me!" the being screeched again. From where the light-haired boy now faced, two figures walked towards him, one behind the other. As they drew closer they both became illuminated by the vague moonlight and their identities, revealed.

The figure that was behind the first was one he recognized. His twin brother, Yaotl. As for the other, it caused a confused look to settle on his face. It was that boy from the river, Ahuiliztli, he recalled. He was now squirming in his dark-haired twin's grip, demanding his unseen captor to let him go. Although, he ceased his resistance once he recognized the boy in front of him. Afterwards, he took to simply staring at the blue-haired boy. How his light skin and bright eyes seemed to shimmer in the moonlight.

Xiuhpilli only blinked at the sight before he averted his gaze to the boy who was his twin. Giving him a questioning look, he awaited for his brother to explain the situation, but unsurprisingly, was given none. At least, not yet.

"What is the meaning of this, Yaotl?" Xiuhpilli questioned, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"I did nothing. So, before you go off and make your assumptions, I just awoke to this fool making a ruckus in the distance. Sadly, it's only the foolish child that was at the lake earlier," Yaotl calmly explained, keeping his eye contact solely on the only light-haired child of the three.

"I'm not a fool!" Ahuiliztli was quick to defend, attempting to break free and show the malevolent sibling a thing or two.

Sadly, this backfired as Yaotl was quick to shove him to the ground, pinning the tanned child down with relative ease. Ahuiliztli made a few grunts of pain as he felt his cheek being scraped by the hardened ground.

"Do you want to continue?" the black-haired brother taunted, frowning when the child only continued to weakly struggle against him despite the fact Yaotl was stronger than he.

However, just as he was about to retort a response, the malevolent twin was shoved away, and being caught off guard, stumbled before ultimately falling on his back in pain. Meanwhile, Xiuhpilli had proceeded to kneel down beside the now freed Ahuiliztli, offering a hand to the younger boy.

"I apologize for my brother. Are you alright?" the benevolent twin murmured, helping the tanned youth to his feet. However, upon that being done, the angered dark-haired twin approached him.

"I ought t-"

"Hush," Xiuhpilli cut off in a whisper. "I think I heard some voices."

"Wha?" Ahuilliztli inquired then, eyebrows furrowing as he peered around in the dimly lit scenery, searching for any clues to prove the pale boy's claim. However, besides the sounds of insects and the faint breeze of the wind, there was nothing out of the order.

When the trio were beginning to feel relieved, they heard the sounds of several marching feet as well as several cries and moans.

"Hurry up!"

Naturally, the tanned boy followed the sound as he quickly found a spot where he could eavesdrop and not be caught. The benevolent twin had tried motioning, as well as grabbing, for him to return, but was unsuccessful. It was as if the child was in a trance. So, he followed after him, and then, Yaotl did as well, after cursing some insults at the imbeciles he was stuck with.

Dimmed ruby eyes watched as a seemingly never-ending line of silhouettes walked through the path of the forest. They walked in odd positions, and Ahuiliztli had to wonder if they were even human.

However, when he caught a better glimpse, provided by an unfiltered ray of moonlight, the boy found they, indeed, were human….and most of the individuals were people of his village.

And among this group were...He froze in shock at the sight.

His parents were there, in the distance, as they trudged slowly. His mother had only been staring at the ground, looking disconnected from the world around her while his father looked as if he was trying to hold on to the very last bit of dignity he held.

"It's...it's.." the dual-haired boy whispered to no one in particular, but Xiuhpilli had caught what he said. Narrowing his heterochromatic eyes in confusion first, he peered up to find the parents of Ahuiliztli in the distance.

"I have to go after them. I have to save them," Ahuiliztli whispered and began to stand up when the light-haired twin grabbed his hand.

"I do not believe that is wise," he replied. "I am certain they would not want you to risk your life."

"Bu-"

Yaotl spoke then, "You idiot. You'd only worsen the situation."

When the boy failed to respond, the malevolent twin continued, "Besides, you can't even hold a finger to me. What makes you think you can go up against even one of those men?"

The Aztec boy averted his gaze from the dark-haired male to the ground and placed himself on the floor once more. He felt completely helpless as he looked to see his parents one last time. They continued marching further and further down the road until they were almost out of sight.

"M-Maybe we can follow them? Find out where they are going?" suggested the ruby-eyed child then, looking between the twins and hoping one of the two agreed.

The lighter of the twins, Xiuhpilli, answered, "We have no idea where they're going. It could be miles, or days from here. We don't know what is out there and we don't have any supplies or skills for such a trip."

"... Who's not to say you won't get caught trailing them? Even if you do find wherever they're headed, what do you plan on doing then? Demand for you parents back? You'll probably end up in the same situation as them, or make it worse for them." the dark-haired twin jumped in.

The black-haired boy became distraught at the seemingly taunting way the dark twin casually spoke. In response, his ruby eyes became clouded as he fought to not cry.

Gold and white eyes stared at the tanned boy, unsure what to say. However, in an attempt to comfort the boy, Xiuhpilli spoke in a soft tone, "...Perhaps, it's for the best...I believe they would want you to be safe…"

Ahuiliztli only gave him a tearful stare before he gazed down, allowing himself to cry quietly for a few moments. Regardless, he agreed, "I-I guess so…"

"I'm sorry for your loss," the slightly older pale boy murmured in response, contemplating the future of the child's parents. Death was likely to happen. He'd heard stories from when his uncle was conversing with other villagers.

Just like the death of his mother…

"We...we should try going back," Xiuhpilli had tried suggesting, temporarily forgetting he and his twin were under orders to remain in their current location until Namacuix had returned.

"Huh, I believe you were the one who was claiming we were to follow that moron's orders," Yaotl was quick to state in annoyance. "Changing your mind for the river boy?"

"..."

The tanned child had gazed up from the ground, wiping away a few of his tears as he tilted his head, "...River boy?"

"Hmph. Don't think I mean it in a nice way," The older black-haired boy grunted, tilting his head away.

"W-We-"

"Please stop fighting," the pale male huffed, glaring at the two children with ebony colored hair. "There are more serious matters at hand. I believe we should head back to the village and see if there are any survivors. Mainly our uncle.."

"And my sister and grandmother as well?" the Aztec boy asked in a slightly hopeful tone.

A nod confirmed Xiuhpilli agreed.

"Pfft. I wouldn't be surprised if you two were to die upon entering," the malevolent twin stated.

"What do you mean? Aren't you coming?" Ahuiliztli asked.

"Ha! You're a fool to believe that. This is my opportunity to leave this wretched village, and that damned man who calls himself my uncle. I'm more than happy this occurred," Yaotl responded, laughing to himself afterwards.

However, upon hearing his words, the red-banged boy's expression darkened, and before he knew it, he had swung his clenched fist and successfully landed a hit on Xiuhpilli's twin.

The light-haired child only stared in mild surprise but said nothing as his sibling clenched his cheek and scowled at Ahuiliztli.

"Shut up!" the tanned boy growled, baring his teeth angrily. How dare he! "My mother and father were taken! And you're laughing?! What if this happened to your parents?!"

As the Aztec boy finished his statement, he noticed Yaotl flinch as his hand fell from his cheek and to his side. His scowl was only a fraction now, and his gaze was on the floor.

"My parents are dead," Yaotl murmured in response, falling silent as he glanced at his twin whom had taken to staring at the sky….He always did that when he thought of their parents…

The tanned boy hadn't spoken again as guilt had embedded itself inside his chest. Minutes passed this way, and now wanting to apologize for his hurtful words, Ahuiliztli opened his mouth to speak, "I a-"

"We should h-head back," the light-haired one of the trio interjected in a shaky tone, standing up and heading off. His twin followed after him without a word, thus leaving the Tsukam youth to his lonesome.

Swallowing, he arose from his hiding spot and quietly followed after the brothers, not bothering to say a word afterwards…

When the trio of boys arrived back to the now trashed village that was once their home, they were not surprised to find it in complete ruins. Most of the structures were damaged...Bodies, even more than when they first saw the sight, lay scattered throughout the area...And everything was quiet. A deathly quiet. A quiet unknown to the three children, and it was one that frightened them.

Never had Ahuiliztli felt so alone...And never had he regretted abandoning his sister and grandmother more than now.

As for the twins, they couldn't help but dread that among the pile of corpses, the body of their uncle, their only living relative, was there.

"Ahuiliztli!"

The child was quick to turn, and his heart skipped a beat upon finding the figure of his sister running over to him. When she closed the gap, she fell to her knees and gripped his shoulders as she began to scold him.

However, halfway through her speech, she broke down in tears, immediately pulling the dual-haired brother of hers closer. He immediately wrapped his arms around his older sister, crying as well.

They remained like this for a few minutes before Teyacapan, his sister, pulled away and stood up.

"We should go," Yaotl suggested; his attitude disappearing for the time being. The light-haired brother nodded in agreement, but just as they were to take off, they were called by the red-haired Teyacapan.

"Are you the twins of Namcuix?"

The two boys stopped in their tracks, and without moving, simultaneously answered her question with two different replies:

"We are."

"What of it?"

The light-haired one of the brothers shot a glare at his sibling for his rudeness. However, Yaotl remained unperturbed by this.

The only female dismissed the young boy's comment as she proceeded to ask, "Do you know of his whereabouts?"

The dark-haired twin crossed his arms over his chest and replied, "Not at all."

Seeing his twin remain quiet afterwards, Xiuhpilli continued to explain, "He instructed us to stay hidden in the brush until he returned. Although, he has yet to do so."

The eldest in the group took a few moments to take in this information before asking the siblings if they wanted to search for their uncle. When they declined, she only continued, mentioning that it would be better than them going off alone.

Out of annoyance, both boys agreed. However, before the group left, the female told the twins to wait a moment while she went off to inform her grandmother.

After she left, the trio of young boys were left alone, but none of them spoke to one another due to their earlier conversation.

After some time had passed, the tanned boy's sister returned, and the four of them headed off into the center of the village to see if they could find the only relative of the twins.

* * *

The small group had been searching for Namacuix for some time now. Of course, they hadn't passed by the two siblings's house yet, so they still had some hope.

"Is it here?" Teyacapan had asked, clutching her younger brother's hand as she carefully watched her surroundings.

"It should be around here," Xiuhpilli responded as he tried finding the residence he shared with his twin and uncle. "I...I think...I see it!"

Almost immediately, the light-haired twin took off running, leaving the other three behind. However, Yaotl ran after his brother almost instantly which then led to Teyacapan chasing after the two.

"Wait!" she cried in annoyance. Fortunately, she didn't have to run much as the only female of the group caught up to the twins in a matter of minutes.

However, upon closing the gap, she noticed the two had been standing rather oddly. Suspicious, she gazed towards the area in front of her and gasped.

On the dirt was a sprawled out form; a pool of blood underneath the body.

This should have been normal considering bodies decorated the village, but...the person was...

Namacuix.

* * *

**A/N: *AWKWARD COUGHING***

**Anyways, hope you lovelies enjoyed!**

**Read, review, do the violence (please don't), or not!**

**Bye!**


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